WHILE PEOPLE WAIT FOR OFFICIALS
AT THE STATE AND FEDERAL LEVEL
TO ACT ON CLIMATE CHANGE, IT'S
THE PEOPLE AT THE LOCAL LEVEL
WHO ARE LEFT TO DEAL WITH THE
REALITY ON THE GROUND AND THE
WATER IN THEIR BASEMENTS.
"HERE AND NOW" REPORTER ZAC
SCHULTZ TRAVELED TO SAWYER
COUNTY AND THE CITY OF HAYWARD
FOR THIS REPORT.
>> THE VACATION TOWN OF HAYWARD
IN SAWYER COUNTY IS BUILT ON
WATER, BOTH FIGURATIVELY AND
LITERALLY.
>> SO HAYWARD IS BUILT ON A
SWAMP, A CATACOMB OF UNDERGROUND
RIVERS.
>> PAT SANCHEZ IS THE EMERGENCY
MANAGER FOR SAWYER COUNTY.
SHE SAYS THE COUNCIL SEE IS ALSO
PRETTY FLAT, SO TORRENTIAL RAIN
EVENTS LIKE THEY HAD IN 2014 AND
'16 WILL LEAD TO HEAVY FLOODING.
>> WE HAVE A LOT OF RIVERS, A
LOT OF STREAMS, A LOT OF LAKES,
AND WHEN WE GET HEAVY DOWNPOUR
LIKE WE'VE HAD IN THE PAST
YEARS, THERE'S NOT ANYWHERE FOR
THAT WATER TO GO.
>> I DID HAVE CARPETING DOWN
HERE, BUT THAT ALL ROTTED.
>> SANDY OKAMOTO FEELS LIKE MOST
OF THE WATER IN SAWYER COUNTY
COMES THROUGH HER BASEMENT.
>> BECAUSE THIS WHOLE AREA
FLOODS, AND IT COMES IN
EVERYWHERE.
>> SHE SAYS AFTER HEAVY RAINS,
THE GROUNDWATER SPRAYS INTO THE
BASEMENT IN HER HOUSE AND HER
RENTAL PROPERTY NEXT DOOR.
>> IT'S LIKE SOMEONE IS STANDING
WITH A SQUIRT GUN BEHIND THE
WALLS AND JUST -- IT COMES
THROUGH EVERYWHERE.
>> WHEN THE FORECAST CALLS FOR
HEAVY RAINS, SANDY CAN'T SLEEP.
>> VERY OVERWHELMING.
AND ALL I DO IS RUN BACK AND
FORTH BETWEEN THE TWO HOUSES AND
MOVE PUMPS AND MOVE HOSES.
>> BUT SANDY SAYS IT WASN'T LIKE
THIS WHEN SHE BOUGHT THESE
HOUSES.
THIS CREEK AND NEIGHBORING
SHUE'S POND WOULD OCCASIONALLY
DRY UP.
>> LIKE I SAY, THERE WASN'T EVEN
WATER IN THIS CREEK.
I MOWED.
IT WAS BONE DRY.
I MOWED ACROSS IT.
>> THE WATER LEVEL IN PLACES
AROUND SAWYER COUNTY IS JUST
HIGHER THAN IT'S EVER BEEN.
>> IT'S KIND OF AT THE BOTTOM OF
THE DRAINAGE SYSTEM SO IT HAS
NOWHERE TO GO FROM HERE.
>> DON HAMBLIN IS BOTH THE FIRE
CHIEF AND PUBLIC WORKS DIRECTOR
FOR THE TOWN OF HAYWARD SO HE'S
BEEN MONITORING THIS ROAD.
>> THERE'S DEFINITELY STRUCTURAL
ISSUES THAT HAVE TO BE
ADDRESSED.
>> WHEN THE WATER RECEDES, HE
CAN FIX THE ROAD BUT THE BIG
QUESTION IS, HOW SOON WILL HE
HAVE TO DO IT AGAIN?
>> ARE WE GOING TO BE ADDRESSING
THESE PROBLEMS CONTINUALLY FOR
THE NEXT 20, 50 YEARS?
>> THE 2014 AND '16 FLOODS IN
SAWYER COUNTY WERE BOTH CLOSE TO
BEING LABELED AS 100-YEAR
FLOODS.
COUNTIES IN NORTHWEST WISCONSIN
HAVE DEALT WITH REPEATED 100,
500 AND EVEN THOUSAND-YEAR FLOOD
EVENTS IN JUST THE PAST FEW
YEARS.
WASHING AWAY ROADS, FLOODING
HOMES, AND MAKING EVERYONE
CONSIDER WHETHER THIS IS THE NEW
NORMAL.
>> WE'RE NOT LOOKING AT THE
PROBLEM IN THE BIG PICTURE,
WE'RE JUST SAYING HOW CAN WE GET
IT BACK TO FUNCTIONING STATUS.
>> HE'S MEETING WITH LOCAL
OFFICIALS AROUND SAWYER COUNTY
TO TALK ABOUT APPLYING FOR
FEDERAL GRANTS TO PREPARE FOR
EMERGENCIES.
>> PREPAREDNESS LEVELS VARY
WIDELY ACROSS THE REGION.
SOME COMMUNITIES ARE CERTAINLY
MORE PREPARED THAN OTHERS.
>> HE DOESN'T HESITATE WHEN
ASKED ABOUT THE NEXT TIME THIS
AREA SEES A 500-YEAR FLOOD
EVENT.
>> NEXT YEAR, YEP.
WE'RE EXPERIENCING THESE EVENT
SO OFTEN AT SUCH A GREAT
MAGNITUDE THAT WE'LL HAVE NO
CHOICE AT SOME POINT BUT TO
ALLOCATE RESOURCES TO TRY AND
ADDRESS IT.
>> TO HELP COMMUNITIES PREPARE,
THEY CREATED THE NORTHWEST
WISCONSIN FLOOD IMPACT STUDY,
WHICH SHOWS WHICH ROADS AND
HOUSES WOULD BE UNDERWATER
DURING 100 OR 500-YEAR FLOOD
EVENTS.
A 500-YEAR FLOOD IN SAWYER
COUNTY WOULD CAUSE NEARLY
$12 MILLION IN DAMAGES TO
BUILDINGS AND SEE 50 MILES OF
ROADS CLOSED.
WE OVERLAID THE STUDIES
INTERACTIVE MAP VIEWER ON
DOWNTOWN HAYWARD TO SHOW JUST
HOW MUCH WOULD BE UNDER WATER.
>> WHEN I SAW THAT STUDY, I JUST
SAID I HOPE I RETIRE BEFORE THE
HUNDRED YEAR AND THE 500 YEAR
FLOODS.
>> PAT SANCHEZ WOULD BE IN
CHARGE OF MANAGING A FLOOD
EMERGENCY, AND WHEN SHE READ THE
STUDY, SHE MADE A PHONE CALL.
>> I ORDERED 10,000 BAGS AND HAD
THEM DELIVERED AND THEN I
PRESTAGED THEM NORTH AND SOUTH.
>> SO FAR, SHE HASN'T NEEDED
THEM.
>> LUCKILY IT DIDN'T HAPPEN.
I'M STILL KNOCKING ON WOOD
BECAUSE WE'RE NOT OVER THE
SEASON YET.
>> BUT SANDBAGS ARE A STOP-GAP
SOLUTION, NOT A LONG TERM PLAN.
>> WE CAN START LOOKING AT, YOU
KNOW, DO WE NEED BIGGER
CULVERTS, DO WE NEEDLESS
PAVEMENT?
>> EVERY TIME WE REDO A ROAD
PROJECT, WE TRY TO IMPROVE
DRAINAGE.
>> DON HAMBLIN SAYS AFTER THE
LAST TWO FLOODS, THE TOWN OF
HAYWARD STARTED RE-THINKING
THEIR APPROACH TO ROAD BUILDING.
>> WE'VE KIND OF PRIORITIZED
SOME OF OUR PROJECTS BASED ON
WATER FLOW.
>> HAMBLIN SAYS INSTEAD OF JUST
REPAVING THIS ROAD, THEY DECIDED
TO RAISE IT UP SO WATER COULD
DRAIN OFF.
>> WE'VE ADDED ANYWHERE BETWEEN
4 AND 10 INCHES OF GRAVEL IN
SOME PLACES TO GET BETTER
DRAINAGE AND IMPROVE SOME OF THE
STRUCTURE UNDER THE ROAD.
>> THESE PROJECTS CAN GET
EXPENSIVE.
IT WILL COST $345,000 TO REPLACE
THE UNDERSIZED CULVERT THAT
CARRIES SMITH CREEK UNDER
HIGHWAY 63 IN HAYWARD.
THE CITY OF HAYWARD IS TELLING
RESIDENTS LIKE SANDY OKAMOTO
THEY'RE WAITING FOR THE STATE TO
PAY.
>> I KNOW THEY'RE WAITING FOR
THE DOT TO GIVE THEM A BIG CHUNK
OF MONEY TO DO SOMETHING
UNDERNEATH HIGHWAY 63 AND THEY
SAY THERE'S NO POINT IN FIXING
ANYTHING THIS SIDE OF HIGHWAY 63 BECAUSE THEN THE HOMES
DOWNSTREAM WOULD FLOOD.
>> THE DEPARTMENT OF
TRANSPORTATION ISN'T SCHEDULED
TO START WORK UNTIL 2023.
SHE CAN'T IMAGINE WAITING UNTIL
THEN.
>> IT'S JUST NO WAY TO LIVE.
>> I'VE JUST BEEN TOLD THERE'S
NO MONEY, THERE'S NO MONEY,
THERE'S NO MONEY.
WE'VE TALKED TO OUR POLITICAL
ENTITIES AND THEY KEEP SAYING
WRITE GRANTS.
WELL, WE NOW HOW COMPETITIVE
GRANTS ARE NOW DAYS.
>> AND I SUSPECT BECAUSE OF THE
THINGS THAT WE'VE EXPERIENCED IN
THE LAST FIVE YEARS, NAMELY THE
FLOODING ISSUE --
>> FIVE YEARS AGO, FLOODING
WASN'T EVEN LISTED AS A CONCERN
ON SAWYER COUNTY'S HAZARD
MITIGATION PLAN GRANT
APPLICATION.
NOW IT'S NUMBER ONE.
>> I'M NOT GUARANTEEING YOU'LL
GET FUNDING FOR THESE THINGS
BECAUSE YOU'RE GOING TO BE
COMPETING AGAINST NOT JUST THE
OTHER COUNTIES THAT HAVE BEEN
AFFECTED IN WISCONSIN, BUT EVERY
COUNTY ACROSS THE COUNTRY.
>> JASON LAUMANN SAYS LOCAL
GOVERNMENTS NEED TO PLAN FOR
THESE COSTS.
>> COMEUBTS, COUNTIES HAVE
GOTTEN TO REALIZE THAT THEY'RE
GOING TO HAVE TO BEAR SOME OF
THE BURDEN FOR THIS, ESPECIALLY
WITH THE INFRASTRUCTURE COSTS.
>> OTHERWISE, THEY'LL BE IN THE
ODD POSITION OF HOPING WHEN THE
FLOOD COMES, IT'S REALLY BAD, SO
THEY QUALIFY FOR FEMA GRANTS TO
REBUILD.
>> THIS IS THE LARGEST CULVERT
STRUCTURE THAT WE HAVE IN THE
TOWN OF HAYWARD.
>> THAT'S WHAT HAPPENED AFTER
THE 2016 FLOOD WASHED OUT THIS
GRAVEL ROAD.
>> IT ENDED UP BEING A FEMA
PROJECT.
THE TOTAL COST OF THE PROJECT
WAS OVER $80,000 TO PUT THIS BOX
CULVERT IN, AND YOU KNOW, FOR
THE TOWN TO DO THAT ON THEIR OWN
NEVER WOULD HAVE HAPPENED.
>> EVEN WITH THE FEMA MONEY, THE
TOWNSHIP STILL HAD TO PAY 25% OF
THE COST.
HAMBLIN SAYS IT WOULD COST 5 TO
$10,000 TO FILL IN THE WASHOUT.
THEY COULD HAVE DONE THAT FOR
NEXT EIGHT FLOODS AND STILL
SAVED MONEY.
>> HOPEFULLY THIS CULVERT WILL
OUTLIVE ALL OF US.
>> BUT THE NEXT EIGHT FLOODS MAY
NOT BE THAT FAR OFF.
>> DO WE PLAN 50 YEARS OR 100
YEARS DOWN THE ROAD OR DO WE
PLAN FOR TOMORROW AND HOPE FOR
THE BEST?
>> THAT